By Tracy Cabrera
BATASAN HILLS, Quezon City — In response to the increase in petroleum prices triggered by renewed hostilities between Iran and the United States, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will begin rolling out cash assistance under the expanded Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) program this week.
In an agency bulletin, Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon “Rex” Gatchalian said the program will cover three groups of beneficiaries: 3.5 million households under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Walang Gutom Program (WGP); 2.5 million poor and near-poor households identified through the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS); and 1.5 million low-income Social Security System (SSS) members.
“President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. announced the UPLIFT assistance. This marks the next stage of our financial assistance for our fellow citizens,” Gatchalian said, citing the expected impact of the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Gatchalian said households under the 4Ps and WGP will receive a one-time cash assistance of ₱2,000, while CBMS-identified households under the second group and qualified SSS members under the third group will receive the same amount every month for six months, from July through December.
He added that cash assistance for 4Ps beneficiaries will be credited directly to their Land Bank of the Philippines or GCash accounts, while WGP beneficiaries will receive the funds through manual payouts during their scheduled food redemption activities.
“We will conduct an initial manual payout for the 2.5 million CBMS beneficiaries, as they are a new group of recipients, before transitioning to digital payments,” Gatchalian said, adding that local government units (LGUs) have been directed to help organize the payout schedules.
ia/xf
